Lobby pans, which are also known as dust pans, are well known in the prior art. In particular, lobby pans are used as a temporary receptacle for small amounts of waste, such as dust, candy wrappers, discarded food, etc., as well as refuse, such as vomit, animal feces, etc. Lobby pans are used in individual dwellings, but their use is especially widespread in commercial settings, such as office buildings, hospitals, food industry sites such as kitchens and restaurants, schools, etc.
Generally, a lobby pan will comprise a receptacle that is pivotally mounted to a shaft using any of the well-known pivotal mounting means in the art. The shaft can be connected to a handle including, for example, an aperture by which the lobby pan can be hung. When downward pressure is applied to the handle, the receptacle portion will pivot downward to allow waste and refuse to be swept into it. When upward pressure is applied to the handle, the receptacle portion will swing upwards, thereby preventing waste and refuse from falling out. In the upward position, the receptacle portion can be locked in place using a mechanism known in the art, such as a slot and hook. Alternatively, in the upward position, the lobby pan can be unlocked.
However, after the waste collected into the receptacle is emptied, the receptacle can still contain some amount of the waste that is stuck to the interior surface of the receptacle. For instance, when the waste is dog feces, the small amount of the waste attached to the inside surface of the receptacle would produce undesirable smell, sanitation hazard, and an unwanted scene. It is inconvenient to thoroughly clean the receptacle each time the waste collector is used. Accordingly, there is a need for a new type of waste collectors that allows convenient and complete removal of collected waste therein.
Objects of the Disclosed Lobby Pan
Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a waste collector that does not make direct contact with the collected waste.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a waste collector that does not require cleaning after use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a waste collector that is odorless after use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a waste collector with a set of locking members for keeping a waste container open and in position.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a waste collector with a set of locking members allowing convenient removal of a waste container disposed in the waste collector.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a lobby pan that does not make direct contact with the collected waste.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a lobby pan that does not require cleaning after use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a lobby pan that is odorless after use.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a lobby pan with a set of locking members for keeping a waste container open and in position.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a lobby pan with a set of locking members allowing convenient removal of a waste container disposed in the waste collector.
Other advantages of this disclosure will be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art. It should be understood, however, that a system or method could practice the disclosure while not achieving all of the enumerated advantages, and that the protected disclosure is defined by the claims.